Trunk restraint: Physical intervention for improvement of upper-limb motor impairment and function

Abstract

Children and adults with hemiparesis use excessive trunk movement to compensate for limitations in arm movement during reaching activities. Reaching and grasping with physical limitation (trunk restraint) of or feedback about excessive trunk movements leads to improvements in the quality of arm motor patterns (shoulder and elbow range, endpoint trajectory), reduction of excessive trunk movement, and decreased upper-limb impairment. In children, the intervention consists of task-oriented upper-limb therapy performed while movements of the trunk are limited by strapping the trunk to the back of a chair. The trunk restraint limits forward and lateral trunk displacement and rotation but allows scapular movement.